Renunciation of Vocation and Renunciation within Vocation

Abstract

This chapter addresses the question of whether some people might be called to renounce a vocation and turn away from their callings because of some moral, relational, or religious demand. Drawing on various elements in the Hindu tradition, the author suggests an alternative: renunciation within vocation. Focusing on various interpretations of the Bhagavadgita (and in particular, the story of Arjuna’s struggle as to whether he should fight against his cousins), the chapter argues that it may be possible to separate ourselves from attachment to certain fruits of our labors without renouncing the work itself. This, in turn, may have a number of additional benefits for various aspects of vocational reflection and discernment—including greater attention to the process of discernment (rather than its result), as well as relief from the anxiety that is generated by the demand that one’s vocation be demonstrably “productive.”